


A Sleigh Ride Together With You

by a_single_plum



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Christmas Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, Gen, Getting Together, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Season/Series 03, Steve Harrington Has a Crush on Billy Hargrove
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28321494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_single_plum/pseuds/a_single_plum
Summary: Steve likes Billy. Billy likes Steve. Neither of them will take the next step. When Robin sets up a Christmas surprise, will they face their fears and fall in love?(Let's pretend like we don't already know the answer to that. 🤣🤣)
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	A Sleigh Ride Together With You

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a "Trope Challenge" using Christmas/winter/Hallmark movie tropes. Completely self-indulgent fluff! Split into two parts because it got longer than I planned and I still need to edit the last half. Part 2 will hopefully be up before January 1.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and happy holidays! ❄️ 🎄❤️

**December 21, 1985**

Steve slid the movies across the counter with a bright smile. "Enjoy! Merry Christmas!"

As the parents herded their kids towards the door, he glanced at the clock and his smile faded.

He hated closing shifts.

Alone in the empty store, every shadow was a monster climbing through the walls. Every sound was a demogorgon's growl. The aisles of neatly organized videos became otherworldly tunnels and endless hallways in secret Russian bases.

He'd had a long, sleepless night the first time he closed alone. After that Robin would stay with him, even if her shift was over. He'd done the same for her on a few occasions.

But she was at a family dinner tonight, and Steve was on his own.

He crouched down to look for some new receipt paper, torn between hoping no one else would show up and wanting a last-minute rush to put off the end of the night as long as possible. 

The sudden jangle of the bells over the door and a blast of cold air startled him, and he almost lost his balance.

"Be right with you!" he called, trying to compose himself.

"Don't worry, Harrington. I've got all night."

Steve abandoned his quest for the receipt paper and got to his feet.

Last year, he never would have believed that he'd ever, under any circumstances, be happy to see Billy.

A lot had changed since July.

"Better hurry up, Hargrove," he said. "You might have all night but we close in - " he checked the clock again - "ten minutes."

Billy leaned on the counter. "I'm not here for the movies."

Steve rested his elbow on his side of the counter. "What are you here for, then?"

"Thought you might be lonely with Buckley away," Billy said. "You up for a drive after? Maybe grab something to eat?"

"Yeah," Steve said. "Yeah, sounds good." He took a quick look outside, saw no sign of any potential customers, and straightened up. "I'm gonna close up now, screw it."

Billy gazed at him through lowered lashes and licked his lips. "Want a hand, pretty boy?"

"What?" Steve spluttered.

Billy poked at his chest. "Do you need _help_ with anything so we can get out of here faster?"

"Oh." Steve felt himself blushing. He tried to focus on what still needed to be done instead of Billy's smirk. "Yeah, actually. You can clean up." He jerked his thumb in the general direction of the supply closet. "Everything's back there."

Billy pushed himself away from the counter, and to Steve's surprise, he set to work without a single insult, innuendo, or complaint. Steve watched him for a minute before starting his own tasks. 

He was in the office sorting out the tills when he heard a sudden clatter. Heart racing, he snatched the stapler off the desk and ran out front.

He found Billy kneeling among garland and a garish plastic Santa; scattered videotape cases, a toppled display stand, and the broom and dustpan lying next to him.

"Billy!" Steve nearly shouted.

Billy's head jerked up. "I didn't do anything. It just fell. I'll clean it up."

Steve dropped to his knees beside Billy and looked him over anxiously. "I don't care about that. Are you okay? I heard the noise, and - "

"Came running to rescue me," Billy said.

"Um." Steve broke eye contact and shifted the stapler to his other hand. "I guess I kind of panicked? I just - I get jumpy sometimes, and - " 

"Do you even know how brave you are?" Billy's tone softened, and he leaned over a little, into Steve's space.

Steve wanted to turn the question back on him, to tell him _he_ wasn't the one who'd fought off the Mind Flayer, but he was distracted by Billy's lips, so close. So tempting.

It wasn't the first time he'd thought about it. He'd thought about it since Billy moved to Hawkins, and he'd assumed that meant there was something very wrong with him. He liked girls. He definitely didn't like Billy Hargrove.

But since July, when driving Max to the hospital turned into visiting on his own turned into a close friendship, and a long talk with Robin reassured him there wasn't anything wrong with him, he'd grown to like Billy Hargrove a lot.

He liked him too much to risk losing him by trying to turn their friendship into something more.

"Steve?" Billy's hesitant voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Steve drew back and pointed at the display stand.

"I think it's broken," he said. "Just put it by the wall, I'll get it tomorrow. I'm starving, and I've got to finish my stuff, and like you said, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can get out of here."

He made himself stop talking and pasted on a smile.

Billy studied him for a moment before smiling back, toothy and insincere. "Right. Don't work too hard, Harrington."

Steve forced a laugh and headed back to the office. He tried to focus on the tills again, but all he could think of was Billy telling him he was brave, and the hurt in Billy's eyes when he'd pulled away.

*****

**December 22, 1985**

Steve overslept after tossing and turning half the night. Scrambling to get ready for work, he groaned when he yanked open the door and saw a thick layer of snow covering everything, piled even deeper where it had drifted.

Robin was already leaning on the counter when Steve finally burst into Family Video.

"I thought you weren't coming in today, dingus," she said. "Which would have been a shame, because you would have had to wait to hear my big news."

"Big news?" Steve repeated. "What happened?"

Robin gestured towards the feathery snowflakes falling outside. "Thanks to this snowstorm, you and all the rest of our weird little friends are invited to my grandparents' place for a Christmas Eve surprise."

It took Steve a second to process that. "The snowstorm? What does snow have to do with anything?"

The bells over the door tinkled as a woman walked in accompanied by three shrieking children who immediately started running around the aisles.

Robin grinned and patted Steve's shoulder. 

"You'll see," she said before ducking out back.


End file.
